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The standard helmet weighs 4 lbs (1.8 kg).[4] When worn with the Marines' body armor, the helmet is typically painted olive drab, though when worn with other body armor models, the helmet is painted to match the body armor.[1][5][6][7][8] Within the Army, the helmet is generally painted tan, dust gray, or olive drab; medics' helmets feature a caduceus.[6] Air Force pilots' helmets are painted dull brown, similar to those of many Marines. In the Marine Corps, the name of the wearer is sometimes stenciled on the back of the helmet,[9] though this is not always the case.

The helmet can be outfitted with a heads-up display eyepiece or ballistic goggles that can be polarized either orange or black, as well as a boom microphone and a tactical flashlight. The helmet can be fitted with an accessory clip which can be used to mount a night vision device. The basic Army configuration of the helmet features a chin strap, though this is typically not worn by Marines.[6] Balaclavas are often worn with the helmet, especially when operating in frigid environments, though they are occasionally worn in temperate and desert climates.[5][8]

UNSC personnel have created several nicknames for the helmet, including "coconut", "lid", "can", and "pasta shell".[4]

The ECH252 is an enclosed variant of the standard CH252 helmet.[10] The helmet can be fully enclosed and environmentally sealed, featuring either a polarized or unpolarized visor; this sealed configuration is the basis of the Beta-5 Division's military police helmet, which is a shared asset among the branches of the UNSC Defense Force. This version can be used with vacuum suits during Extra-Vehicular Activity.[11] It is also during terrestrial combat as part of the Marine Corps' Atmospheric/Exoatmospheric (A/X) BDU,[12] which can provide protection from the environmental hazards caused by glassing.[13] This variation is standard-issue for the Air Force's UH-144 Falcon and YSS-1000 Sabre pilots. The Beta-5 Division's MP helmet can also be used in conjunction with MJOLNIR armor.[6]

The standard helmet worn by Orbital Drop Shock Troopers, which was originally designed for use with the MJOLNIR system,[14] was also derived from the CH252 helmet. Like the Beta-5 Division MP helmet, the ODST helmet is enclosed and can provide oxygen for fifteen minutes; unlike the Beta-5 Division MP helmet, however, the ODST helmet features a distinct, more rounded visor. This version is made of titanium and is coated with a heat-dispersing material; the inside of the helmet is lined with padding to provide comfort for the user. The visor is capable of polarizing, fully obscuring the user's face, or depolarizing, becoming nearly transparent, at the user's whim; the visor is generally colored silver-blue, though red,[15] dark orange,[6][16][17][18] silver,[6] black,[6] and golden polarization are also used.[6]

The newest version of the helmet links with the wearer's Neural Interface and features a head-up display; this HUD provides a targeting reticule, weapon and ammunition information, and a bio sign readouts. It also features thermal imaging equipment and motion sensors.[4] The most remarkable aspect of the ODST helmet is the Visual Intelligence System, Reconnaissance (VISR), which provides on-the-fly access to UEG, CAA, and UNSC databases, as well as enabling the storage up to 610 megabytes of secure data. More significantly, VISR provides the user with access to a dynamic TACMAP and outlines hostile personnel in red, friendly personnel in green, weapons in blue, and objects of interest in yellow. VISR also provided the user with low-light vision enhancement.

A variation of the CH252 helmet was worn by the officers of the New Mombasa Police Department. This version featured a large blast shield to protect the wearer from small arms' fire and presumably from shrapnel and secondary explosions. Like its military counterparts, the NMPD's version of the CH252, it could be mounted a boom microphone.[19]